The last two of the five days were used up during last week’s snow storm.
Frederick, Md (KM). The Frederick County School System has used up all five of its snow makeup days for the year. “We had five days set aside in our academic calendar this year, and as of last week, we used all four of them,”:says Michael Doerrer, spokesman for the School System.
He says the Public School System was closed one day each in January and February, and three days in March, including the two used last week during the snow storm.
If FCPS has to close over the next few weeks due to the weather or other emergencies, Doerrer says the Board of Education has two choices. It could designate days that schools would normally be closed as makeup days. “If we go over, the Board can opt to try to seek a waiver from the state government to get us out of some of the requirements that would allow us more flexibility in our scheduling,” he says.
School systems in Maryland are required to provide 180-days of instruction throughout the years. But, says Doerrer, that hasn’t been easy since the Governor issued an executive order requiring schools open for the year the day after Labor Day, and they end their academic year by June 15th. “The constraints that we’re under in terms of when we have to start and when we have to end, trying to squeeze 180-days of instruction–which is what’s we’re required to do by law–trying to squeeze those days in the calendar is extremely difficult. So we don’t have a lot of give and take in the calendar, not a lot of room,” he says.
Doerrer says it’s a real challenge coming up with a calendar, but the citizens who work on it each year do an excellent job. “We have a calendar committee made up parents and administrators and teachers and others who work very, very hard to come up with a calendar that works,” he adds.
The School System’s spring break takes place from Friday, March 30th through Monday, April 2nd. The last day of classes for the 2017-18 academic year is Friday, June 15th.
By Kevin McManus